Archive

Canberra, Australia, Oct 8, 2019 / 12:49 pm (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Australia are among those who have called for changes to a contentious religious discrimination bill, saying that while it shows promise, it does not do enough to safeguard religious freedom. The submission period on the draft version of the religious freedom bill… Read More »

Krakow, Poland, Oct 8, 2019 / 10:30 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Krakow has compared the LGBT rights movement in Poland to communism. Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski made the comparison in a pastoral letter to the archdiocese released on Sept. 28, as he announced a new initiative to encourage people to pray for Poland.  In the letter, Jędraszewski said… Read More »

Vatican City, Oct 8, 2019 / 05:17 am (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed Tuesday Fr. Austin A. Vetter as the next bishop of Helena, Montana. Vetter, 52, is a priest from the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, where he has served as rector of the city’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit since 2018. Before that he… Read More »

Kaunas, Lithuania, Oct 8, 2019 / 12:49 am (CNA).- One of the newest cardinals of the Church says he drew strength from the Mass and the Blessed Virgin during the decade he spent in a Soviet prison camp in Siberia. Sigitas Tamkevicius, archbishop emeritus of Kaunas, Lithuania, was elevated to the rank of cardinal in… Read More »

Paris, France, Oct 7, 2019 / 12:23 pm (CNA).- At least 42,000 people protested in Paris Sunday against a bill that would allow single women and lesbian couples access to IVF. Many French bishops have spoken against the bill. Police said there were 42,000 at the Oct. 6 protests, while a media-funded researchers estimated 74,000,… Read More »

Jackson, Miss., Oct 7, 2019 / 11:06 am (CNA).- A federal appeals court is considering a Mississippi law ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law was signed in 2018 but is not currently in effect. The law allows abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy only when the mother’s life or a major… Read More »

Vatican City, Oct 7, 2019 / 10:31 am (CNA).- A religious sister from Colombia taking part in the Amazon synod said Monday her congregation and other women’s religious congregations play a big role in the life of the Catholic Church in the Amazon. “The presence of women in the Amazon is very great and very… Read More »

Vatican City, Oct 7, 2019 / 03:39 am (CNA).- In his opening remarks for the Amazon synod Monday, Pope Francis said the assembly’s working document is meant to be “destroyed” as the starting point of the work of the Holy Spirit, who he prays will guide the synodal process. “Synod is to walk together under… Read More »

Rochester, N.Y., Oct 6, 2019 / 04:06 pm (CNA).- A newly-formed group of Catholic mothers in Rochester, New York has committed to praying regularly for the flourishing of vocations from within their own families. “We have to pray for our kids, for their vocations, to hear God’s call, what He’s asking of them,” said Janene… Read More »

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2019 / 04:06 am (CNA).- At the opening Mass for the Amazon synod Sunday, Pope Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would give the bishops prudence, wisdom, and discernment to help the Church in the Pan-Amazonian region be renewed by the fire of faith. “Prudence is not indecision; it is not… Read More »